Hi folks. I hope that we are all safe and warm, especially if you are getting dumped on by snow and blown away by strong winds and freezing under frigid temperatures. In southern Ontario Canada, we are getting just that, with the temperatures falling as the day progresses. We had a flash freeze and of course, that leads to ice on untreated services and combine that with strong winds and falling snow , let’s just say that things could be potentially dangerous if you are a pedestrian and someone like me, who can’t see where they are going and has to rely on sound. Unfortunately, wind blocks out the sound because of the movement of air blowing into my face and the sound of the wind itself so, I am choosing to stay inside where I am warm and I have electricity, in order to cook food and heat my apartment.
I was going to do a post on the Christmas Eve show in 1975, but I have decided not to bite off more than I can chew and talk about something I can get into, without having to do an immense amount of research first. It’s a song and I’ve talked about it in a previous post, but I wish to get into it more here.
Thank God It’s Christmas was released in November 1984, as Queen’s first Christmas song, written by Roger and Brian. The guys had wanted to record a Christmas single and the choice was between this one and a song written souly by Brian called I Dream Of Christmas, which would be later recorded by Brian’s current wife Anita Dobson. https://youtu.be/SunTrA_0bEg
Thank God It’s Christmas started with Roger and you can tell. Right? It certainly sounds like a Roger melody and cord structure. Just listen to how it rolls along and it is in the key of G major. The middle section is most likely from Brian, as it has more guitar on it and is in the key of E Major. I wonder how much Freddie and John had contributed to the arrangement, as well as lyrical ideas
Anyway, it was released as a single in 1984, as both a seven and 12 inch, with versions of Man On the Prowl and Keep Passing the Open Windows and there are two versions of TGIC. There is the version which starts after one drum beat and there is the longer version, starting after 2 bars of drums, before Freddie and John come in with vocals, bass and keyboards. I like the longer version, as the shorter one is what I consider to be the radio edit and I am not usually a fan of edits in general.
The song has appeared on such albums as: The Complete Works Boxed Set in 1985, The Queen Collection in 1992, The Works 2011 Deluxe Version, Greatest Hits III and The Platinum Collection (Greatest Hits I, II & III). The Queen Collection was a US and Canada only set, which put together: Classic Queen, the 1992 Greatest Hits and a 2 track disk with the Queen For An Hour interview and the full version of TGIC at the end of it.
I had heard the song on some radio stations, which played a combination of rock and pop songs! I had first heard it in 1991, just after Freddie had stopped sharing oxygen with us. It was the radio edit and after 1992, I got used to the full version. When Greatest Hits III came out I was surprised to hear the radio edit after all those years and on the 2011 Deluxe version of The Works. I wonder if The Works will get a similar expansion that The Miracle had received a month and change ago, as a boxed set? I suppose that there has to be something new and I’m sure that there will be something there, worth putting out, if or when this comes to fruition
Anyway, someone had put together both versions of TGIC and the 2 B-sides in a video and I will leave you with that. Before I go, I just want to wish you all the best for December 25th and I hope that you get some goodies and that 2023 will be better than this year was, with all that is going on in the world right now. https://youtu.be/6jox5jQIPdg
All Gord's People 